Essential Vocabulary Part II

Religion in the USA

Essential Vocabulary Part II

I. Study the following topical vocabulary and explain the terms used:

a) Churches:

Evangelical

Christian

Orthodox

Protestant

Methodist

Baptist

Southern Baptist

Episcopalian

Presbyterian

Pentecostal

Lutheran

Adventists

Seventh-day Adventists

Christian Scientists

Mormon

b) Religious Trends:

Biblical religion

Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament)

Protestant ethic(s)

Humanitarianism

Millenarianism

Enthusiasm

Gnosticism

Revivalism

Fundamentalism

Dualism

Shamanism

c) Miscellaneous topical vocabulary:

faith, creed, belief

denomination, confession, congregation, sect

spiritual matters/experience

religious heritage

resurrection

crucifixion

priest, minister, clergymen

clergy/priesthood

laity

prophet/ess, seer, revelator

experiential religion

heavenly millennium

sacred frenzies

Genesis (the first book of the Old Testament)

Scriptures (the Holy Scripture)

theologian, religionist

authentic faith

 

II. Learn the following essential vocabulary:

to break away from (a church)

to withhold smth from smb

to have biblical sanction

to be redeemed

to quest for smth

to give benefactions

to be condemned (destined) to eternal punishment

to be blessed (by God)

to be lost in wickedness

to be possessed (by an evil spirit)

to coerce smb into one’s faith

to convert smb into one’s faith

to seek forgiveness for sins

Religion in the USA

SEPARATING CHURCH AND STATE

Early in their history, Americans rejected the concept of the established or government-favored religion that had dominated -- and divided -- so many European countries. Separation of church and state was ordained by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides in part that " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...."

The First Amendment sounds straightforward, but at times it is difficult even for American constitutional scholars to draw a distinct line between government and religion in the United States. Students in public schools may not pray publicly as part of the school day, yet sessions of the U.S. Congress regularly begin with a prayer by a minister. Cities may not display a Christmas crè che on public property, but the slogan " In God We Trust" appears on U.S. currency, and money given to religious institutions can be deducted from one's income for tax purposes. Students who attend church-affiliated colleges may receive federal loans like other students, but their younger siblings may not receive federal monies specifically to attend religious elementary or secondary schools.

It may never be possible to resolve these apparent inconsistencies. They derive, in fact, from a tension built into the First Amendment itself, which tells Congress neither to establish nor to interfere with religion. Trying to steer a clear course between those two dictates is one of the most delicate exercises required of American public officials.

LAND OF MANY FAITHS

Like Catholics, Jews were a small minority in the first years of the American republic. Until the late 19th century, most Jews in America were of German origin. Many of them belonged to the Reform movement, a liberal branch of Judaism which had made many adjustments to modern life. Anti-Semitism, or anti-Jewish prejudice, was not a big problem before the Civil War. But when Jews began coming to America in great numbers, anti-Semitism appeared. Jews from Russia and Poland, who as Orthodox Jews strictly observed the traditions and dietary laws of Judaism, clustered in city neighborhoods when they first arrived in the United States.

Usually, Jewish children attended public schools and took religious instruction in special Hebrew schools. The children of Jewish immigrants moved rapidly into the professions and into American universities, where many became intellectual leaders. Many remained religiously observant, while others continued to think of themselves as ethnically Jewish, but adopted a secular, nonreligious outlook.

To combat prejudice and discrimination, Jews formed the B'nai Brith Anti-Defamation League, which has played a major role in educating Americans about the injustice of prejudice and making them aware of the rights, not only of Jews, but of all minorities.

By the 1950s a three-faith model had taken root: Americans were described as coming in three basic varieties -- Protestant, Catholic, and Jew. The order reflects the numerical strength of each group: In the 1990 census, Protestants of all denominations numbered 140 million; Catholics, 62 million; and Jews, 5 million.

Today the three-faith formula is obsolete. The Islamic faith also has 5 million U.S. adherents, many of whom are African-American converts. It is estimated that the number of mosques in the United States -- today, about 1, 200 -- has doubled in the last 15 years. Buddhism and Hinduism are growing with the arrival of immigrants from countries where these are the majority religions. In some cases, inner-city Christian churches whose congregations have moved to the suburbs have sold their buildings to Buddhists, who have refitted them to suit their practices.

PRINCIPLES OF TOLERANCE

America has been a fertile ground for new religions. The Mormon and Christian Science Churches are perhaps the best-known of the faiths that have sprung up on American soil. Because of its tradition of noninterference in religious matters, the United States has also provided a comfortable home for many small sects from overseas. The Amish, for example, descendants of German immigrants who reside mostly in Pennsylvania and neighboring states, have lived simple lives, wearing plain clothes and shunning modern technology, for generations.

Some small groups are considered to be religious cults because they profess extremist beliefs and tend to glorify a founding figure. As long as cults and their members abide by the law, they are generally left alone. Religious prejudice is rare in America, and interfaith meetings and cooperation are commonplace.

The most controversial aspect of religion in the United States today is probably its role in politics. In recent decades some Americans have come to believe that separation of church and state has been interpreted in ways hostile to religion. Religious conservatives and fundamentalists have joined forces to become a powerful political movement known as the Christian right. Among their goals is to overturn, by law or constitutional amendment, Supreme Court decisions allowing abortion and banning prayer in public schools. Ralph Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition, estimates that one-third of delegates to the 1996 Republican Convention were members of his or similar conservative Christian groups, an indication of the increased involvement of religion in politics.

While some groups openly demonstrate their religious convictions, for most Americans religion is a personal matter not usually discussed in everyday conversation. The vast majority practice their faith quietly in whatever manner they choose - as members of one of the traditional religious denominations, as participants in nondenominational congregations, or as individuals who join no organized group. However Americans choose to exercise their faith, they are a spiritual people. Nine out of ten Americans express some religious preference, and approximately 70 percent are members of religious congregations.

Reading Comprehension Check

1. What is the role of the First Amendment in the USA? Is the separation of the church and the state apparent nowadays? Substantiate your viewpoint.

2. Is religion taught as a school subject in the USA? Are there any state-funded faith schools in the USA?

3. Why does the teaching of evolution cause problems in some states? Elaborate your argument.

4. What is the original three-faith model about? Is it relevant for present-day USA? Elaborate your argument.

 

The U.S. census has never asked Americans directly about their religion or religious beliefs, but it did compile statistics from each denomination starting in 1850.Finke and Starke used a statistical manipulation of the official census data after 1850, and Atlas for 1776, to estimate the number of Americans who were are were adherents to a specific denomination. In 1776 their estimate is 17%. In the late 19th century, 1850-1890, the rate increased from 34% to 45%. From 1906 to 1952, the rate grew from 51% to 59%.

The data here comes from Gallup, which polled Americans annually about their denominational preferences since 1948. Gallup did not ask whether a person was a formal member of the denomination. Blank means that there is no data available for a given year. All of the percentages here are rounded, so 0% could actually mean 0.01% to 0.49% if one would be able to see the entire number.

According to the Pew Research Center the percentage of Protestants in the United States has decreased from over two-thirds in 1948 to less than half by 2011 with 48% of Americans identifying as Protestant. This decline in Protestant immigration has corresponded to the relaxation of immigration restrictions pertaining to mostly non-Protestant countries. The percentage of Catholics in the United States increased from 1948 all the way to the 1980s, but then began declining again.

The percentage of Jews in the United States has decreased from 4% to 2% during this same time period. There has been very little Jewish immigration to the U.S. after 1948 in comparison to previous years. The number of people with other religions was almost nonexistent in 1948, but rose to 5% by 2011, partially due to large immigration from non-Christian countries. The percentage of non-religious people (atheists, agnostics) people in the U.S. has drastically increased from 2% to 13%. The number of Americans unsure about their religion and religious beliefs stayed roughly the same over the years, always hovering at 0% to 4%.

Over the last 19 years, some of the more traditional Protestant denominations/branches experienced a large decline as a percentage of the total American population. These include Southern Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Other Protestants. The only Protestant branch that significantly increased its percentage share over the last 19 years is non-denominational Protestantism. The Protestants who were unsure about which branch of Protestantism they believed in also drastically declined as a percentage of the U.S. population over the last 19 years.

Bottom Line

America remains a generally religious nation, with more than two-thirds of the nation's residents classified as very or moderately religious. These overall national averages, however, conceal dramatic regional differences in religiosity across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Residents of Southern states are generally the most religious, underscoring the validity of the " Bible Belt" sobriquet often used to describe this region. Coupled with the Southern states in the high-religiosity category is Utah, the majority of whose residents are Mormon -- the most religious group in America today. On the other hand, residents of New England and a number of far Western states tend to be the least religious.

Religion is related to politics in today's America, and it is clear from a glance at Gallup's State of the States map that the most religious states in the union generally are the most Republican, while the least religious states skew more toward the Democratic Party. This means that the most divided states -- and thus, those where most of the heavy-duty campaigning in this year's presidential election will be taking place -- are the ones where residents tend to be neither at the very religious nor at the nonreligious end of the spectrum.

Gallup's " State of the States" series reveals state-by-state differences on political, economic, and wellbeing measures Gallup tracks each day.

 

 

Reading Comprehension Check

5. Are U.S. citizens religious today? Does religiosity vary widely across the country? Is there any “national religion” in the USA?

6. Do you think that the values Americans live by have been significantly influenced by their religious beliefs? Substantiate your viewpoint.

7. Do you believe that Americans are getting less pious nowadays? Elaborate your argument.

8. Are there any religions founded in the USA? Name some of them.

 

 

Gender of God

There continues to be no consensus as to whether God is a man or a woman. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans (39%) think He is male, while only 1% of U.S. adults believe She is female. However, notable minorities believe God is neither male nor female (31%) or both male and female (10%).

Women, perhaps surprisingly, are more likely than men to believe that God is male (43% women, 34% men), while men are more likely to believe that God is neither male nor female (34% men, 28% women).

Religion in the USA

Essential Vocabulary Part II

I. Study the following topical vocabulary and explain the terms used:

a) Churches:

Evangelical

Christian

Orthodox

Protestant

Methodist

Baptist

Southern Baptist

Episcopalian

Presbyterian

Pentecostal

Lutheran

Adventists

Seventh-day Adventists

Christian Scientists

Mormon

b) Religious Trends:

Biblical religion

Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament)

Protestant ethic(s)

Humanitarianism

Millenarianism

Enthusiasm

Gnosticism

Revivalism

Fundamentalism

Dualism

Shamanism

c) Miscellaneous topical vocabulary:

faith, creed, belief

denomination, confession, congregation, sect

spiritual matters/experience

religious heritage

resurrection

crucifixion

priest, minister, clergymen

clergy/priesthood

laity

prophet/ess, seer, revelator

experiential religion

heavenly millennium

sacred frenzies

Genesis (the first book of the Old Testament)

Scriptures (the Holy Scripture)

theologian, religionist

authentic faith

 

II. Learn the following essential vocabulary:

to break away from (a church)

to withhold smth from smb

to have biblical sanction

to be redeemed

to quest for smth

to give benefactions

to be condemned (destined) to eternal punishment

to be blessed (by God)

to be lost in wickedness

to be possessed (by an evil spirit)

to coerce smb into one’s faith

to convert smb into one’s faith

to seek forgiveness for sins

Religion in the USA

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